ASYLUM-SEEKER NUMBERS FALL TO ALMOST HALF LEVELS OF A DECADE EARLIER, UN REPORTS

ASYLUM-SEEKER NUMBERS FALL TO ALMOST HALF LEVELS OF A DECADE EARLIER, UN REPORTS
New York, Mar 28 2011 10:10AM
The number of asylum-seekers seeking to live in the industrialized
world continues to fall and is now almost half the level it was a
decade ago, the United Nations refugee agency reported today as it
released its annual snapshot of asylum trends.

The <"http://www.unhcr.org/4d8cc18a530.html">report from the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) finds that 358,800 applications for
asylum were lodged last year in 44 developed countries – a drop of 5
per cent on the 2009 figures and about 42 per cent below the levels of
2001, when nearly 620,000 applications were made.

Unveiling the report, High Commissioner António Guterres said the
global dynamics of asylum had changed in recent years.

"We need to study the root causes to see if the decline is because of
fewer push factors in areas of origin, or tighter migration control in
countries of asylum," Mr. Guterres said.

Serbia – including Kosovo – provided the biggest number of
asylum-seekers in 2010, with 28,900 claims lodged, compared to only
18,800 the previous year.

UNHCR said the sharp rise was probably due to the European Union's
December 2009 decision to grant visa-free entry to holders of Serbian
passports.

The other leading countries of origin of asylum-seekers were, in
order: Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Russia, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan,
Nigeria and Sri Lanka.

Mr. Guterres noted that the developing world is still "carrying the
lion's share of responsibility for hosting refugees," with countries
such as Liberia and Tunisia playing host to asylum-seekers despite
their own problems and challenges.

Within the developed world, the United States was the biggest
recipient of asylum claims, with 55,500 lodged last year, due in part
to an increase in applications from Chinese and Mexicans. France was
second, with 47,800 claims, drawn largely from Serbian, Russian and
Congolese asylum-seekers. Germany, Sweden and Canada rounded out the
top five recipient nations.

UNHCR defines an asylum-seeker as an individual who has sought
international protection and whose claim for refugee status has not
been determined. A person is considered a refugee if he or she fulfils
criteria set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention.

The 44 recipient countries used for the report were the 27 members of
the European Union, as well as Albania, Australia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea
(ROK), Liechtenstein, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Serbia,
Switzerland, Turkey, the United States and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia.